Many believed that it was no coincidence that Fortnite launched its superhero-themed season right as Avengers: Infinity War was going to be released, but with the debut of original heroes and villains like Carbide and Omega, I don’t think anyone thought an actual sponsored crossover was coming.

But one is, which has just been announced by Epic on Twitter. The image features both Omega and an image of Thanos in Fortnite-ish animation style, says “Snap” in the background and promises a “Limited time mashup” between Fortnite and Marvel’s Avengers. “The battle begins tomorrow” according to the tweet in question, but as of yet, no one has any idea about what exactly that means.

Fans have been predicting some kind of 50 v 50 heroes vs. villains mode this season, so perhaps we could see something like this. But what everyone really wants to know is whether Fortnite is about to get its first branded skins. Can we buy/unlock Thanos? Will there be a host of other Avengers skins that players can acquire? It’s hard to overstate just how much money Epic would make if that were the case.

I do think that part of Fortnite’s charm has been the fact that it’s been full of its own, original creations, even when it ventures into homage territory (The Reaper/John Wick). But with that said, it’s hard to not be excited about the potential of a Marvel X Fortnite crossover with themed skins and other cosmetics.

Avengers: Infinity War

Marvel

I would imagine that this crossover has been in the works for a while, given that Epic couldn’t just whip something like this up all that quickly without a fair amount of planning. It certainly makes sense that the largest current video game franchise in the world would want to join up with the biggest movie franchise in the world for a bit of cross-promotion, and I genuinely do wonder if Epic planned the entire superhero season because of this planned crossover.

Fans have already drawn parallels between season 4’s event and Marvel. The Dusty Divot crater and military base has reminded many players of the set-up in Thor 1 when the God of Thunder’s hammer fell to earth and was recovered by SHIELD. But it appears we’re about to get a whole lot more Marvel in Fortnite than just passing references.

I would be amazed if there weren’t a host of skins ready to be sold for this event. It’s easy to imagine players snapping up Star Lord, Captain America, Black Widow, Thor, Iron Man or Thanos skins no matter how much they cost, or what you had to do to potentially earn them.

This also opens the door for future crossovers, now that it’s clear that Fortnite is going down this path. Again, Fortnite has been full of only original creations to this point (or homages), but in the wake of this deal, who knows what other pieces of pop culture might make their way into the game? If they’re doing this with Marvel, why not Star Wars, for instance? That certainly no longer seems impossible.

I’ve written this entire article based on a single image, and we don’t know any more details than that as of yet, but it’s hard not to be extremely excited regardless. Check back here for more information as Epic releases it, or they might just do it all at once when…whatever this is launches tomorrow.

The “Infinity Gauntlet Limited Time Mashup” mode for Battle Royale will feel just like a standard slugfest — with one major difference: One hundred players will descend upon the map and fight until one player is left standing, as usual, but this time you’ll do so with the Infinity Gauntlet in play.

The artifact containing all six Infinity Stones — the same one Thanos used to cripple Earth’s Mightiest Heroes on the big screen — will appear on the map. Whomsoever finds and equips it will transform into Thanos himself, wielding all the power that comes with him.

What is not mentioned are any potential skins or items, so it seems possible that this "transform into Thanos" mode might be the entirety of the event. We'll have to see tomorrow.

Update 2: Yep, there will not be Avengers skins for sale, which will keep Fortnite's "original designs only" aesthetic intact. Via reddit:

"just because I've seen lots of folks asking, we have no plans for Avengers outfits in the store."